笑裡藏刀 xiào lǐ cáng dāo

smile with hidden harm; friendly but cruel

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. a dagger hidden in smiles (idiom); friendly manners belying hypocritical intentions
  2. 2. when the fox preaches, look to the geese

Characters

Character Meaning
笑 xiào HSK 2
smile; laugh; old variant of 笑xiào
裡 lǐ
inside; interior; internal
藏 cáng HSK 5
to hide away; to conceal; to store
刀 dāo HSK 4
knife; blade; classifier for knife cuts or stabs